Liberal Democrats challenge North West Hampshire MP to vote against Labour's "poll tax on learning"

9.04.00am GMT Mon 1st Dec 2003

North West Hampshire Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate, Martin Tod, has stepped up his party's local campaign to persuade the Government to scrap plans which could mean that many of the brightest local students would no longer be able to afford a university education.

Commenting on proposals in the Queen's Speech which would hit North West Hampshire students hard Martin Tod said: "Labour under Tony Blair are making access to higher education dependent on the ability to pay, not on the ability to learn."

Martin Tod has written to the local Conservative MP Sir George Young asking him to join Liberal Democrat MPs in opposing the Government's plans in parliament. "Sir George Young must stick up for local students in parliament by supporting the Liberal Democrat plans to oppose top-up fees. Although the Tories say they would abolish fees it appears to be at the expense of 450,000 students who would lose a university place by 2010: around 850 in North West Hampshire parliamentary constituency alone."

"Liberal Democrats believe that to invest in our country's future we must invest in our young people. That's why we oppose tuition fees and top-up fees, and support fair grants for poorer students. We would fund our proposals by asking the those earning salaries of over £100,000 a year to pay a small amount extra in tax."